Category: diy

I guess it’s sort of the point of my whole year of happiness – to be happier in my everyday life.

But in the past weeks I had some new realizations about this.

First was a discussion with my sister-in-law who commended me on my energy to go walking, go to a diy concrete course, organize our apartment… I think I was so baffled I wasn’t able to answer anything in the moment, but it did start a thought process in my head.

One: being able to do all the above mentioned things are greatly due to family members.

Having a husband who is happy to take care of the kids, so I can “do my own thing” is pretty damn valuable. We are also lucky to have most of both our families and friends living in the same city with us. Those are the pair of extra helping hands when we just remember to reach out.

Two: being able to do and also doing above mentioned own things boosts my energy. Those are the little (or big?) extras that make life just that bit more enjoyable. When you find that something you like to do, it’s not a chore, it’s a huge joy! For me, these diy courses have proven to be a great source of joy – especially having two of my very dear friends there with me to share the experience!

Not a 100% success, but making it was still a joy!
Remember,

not everything you do to be happier has to be mind-blowingly huge.

If you have been dreaming of a beautiful garden – start with planting one flower. Any start is a start. If you think exercising would make you happier – start with doing something once a week. Or if you work at an office, start with taking the stairs instead of the lift / elevator. In a high-rise, perhaps it’s possible to get off the lift a few storeys too soon. I mean it, any start is a start.

Grandparenting

Another thing that led me to thinking about happiness in the now have been articles I’ve read about grandparents, who want nothing to do with their grandkids. And the reason for this? “I have brought up my own kids already and now it’s my turn to enjoy my life!”

Oh how sad that makes me. I mean, they are entitled to feel like they are feeling, and I am sure they have deserved a break. But in this day and age, where the official retirement year in my age group is something like 2050,

I would really hope to start enjoying my life before I retire.

Our kids have a special relationship with all grandparents (we have truly won this lottery and have 6 different people we can count towards this group) and I think their lives would be so much less without them.

Junior has an especially strong bond with my hubby’s dad, because when he was a baby, they drove around together in a car a lot (desperate times, desperate measures – check my bio for the background on this) and Junior somehow just knows that.

Our Princess is a bit older and is already able to appreciate different things in different people (well, in the family matriarchs mainly – she’s a bit afraid of men these days 😳)

I am so grateful the grandparents in our kids lives do not feel that spending time with our kids is too exhausting or demanding. And I fully intend to start living my life so that I don’t have to reach retirement to enjoy my life.